Cell Culture includes all relevant processes required to
grow and maintain cells outside of their natural environment. Many cell lines
have been developed as standards for certain cell types. A cell line is all cells derived from an
original single cell. This is important because all cells within a cell line
are genetically identical and represent a standard for different cell types.
For example, the cell line MCF-7 is a standard for cancerous mammary cells and
U87 is a standard for glioblastoma cells. Cell culture practices allow these
cell lines to be tested and observed in order to better understand how they
behave in response to changes such as the insertion or deletion of genes,
varying solutes in their media, varying external conditions, and more.